Hardware and Software PT.2 Computer Science Year 7 Hardware and Software Revisited Contents 1) How can parents help? – Page 2 2) A return to software – Page 4 3) Describing business software – Page 8 4) Understanding hardware – Page 10 5) Understanding hardware within a PC– Page 13 6) Mini assessment – Page 15 7) Another look at the four layer model – Page 17 8) Operating Systems – Page 20 9) The final project – Page 23 10) Answers – Page 24 1 | Page Hardware and Software PT.2 HOW CAN PARENTS HELP? 1. Ensure your child has completed all of the tasks by reviewing their answers with them 2. Have your child read through their previous 2 booklets to ensure that they have consolidated all knowledge appropriately 3. Ensure your child has a deep think about the questions to ask yourself sections 4. Ensure you cooperate with your child’s learning experience by reading the “How can parents help” section of each lesson 5. Review with your child the summarisation of each lesson to help consolidate learning effectively 6. Ensure your child does not rush through each lesson as each lesson has many new concepts and theory they will be unfamiliar with 7. Lastly, please do not pressure your child to finish the booklet at a fast pace as this can confuse and disjoint the learning experience. The booklet is created to last the entire term and so should be approached in such a manner, unless your child is feeling up to the challenge of moving ahead This website is extremely useful for students who are willing to take their learning further https://www.computerscience.gcse.guru/topic/hardware-and-software 2 | Page Hardware and Software PT.2 The bigger picture * Previously in an earlier booklet this year you worked on the basics of hardware and software, this booklet acts as part 2 to this vital area of theory for your education in Computer Science. This lesson will cover a return to software and educate you on the technical side of operating systems, software and firmware. As a parent or career your input into your child's education is of paramount importance. To ensure your child is working to the best of their ability you can check to and ensure have completed each lessons worksheet effectively. In addition to this you can ensure they have understood the key terms each week by asking them to explain them to you. 1) What is firmware? 2) Why is software? 3) What is meant by bespoke software? 3 | Page Hardware and Software PT.2 LESSON 1: A return to software A computer system is made up of hardware and software: • hardware is the physical parts of the computer • software is a general term for programs that control and make use of the hardware Software is translated into machine code for the hardware to understand. Software types are in a hierarchy of their position in relation to the hardware. Types of software Firmware is a program embedded onto a hardware device. All hardware components in a computer have firmware. Firmware is usually coded into a hardware device when it is created in a factory. The user of the computer does not usually interact with the firmware directly. A typical example of firmware is the BIOS program written into the ROM of a computer. The BIOS runs when a system starts up before the operating system starts. An operating system (OS) is a platform that gives the user an interface to the hardware. The OS uses device drivers to communicate with the firmware. The OS provides a user-friendly interface and performs basic tasks such as controlling and allocating memory, controlling the execution of software applications, controlling peripherals, networking, and managing files. Software applications - also called an application or 'app' - is not essential for the basic function of the computer. Examples include games, word processors and web browsers. Programming environments are a type of software application used to write code and create programs. Off-the-shelf software is designed to provide a general set of features that a broad range of customers will find useful. The most popular and widely used software is usually off-the-shelf, eg web browsers, apps and games. A bespoke design program on a computer vs a standard word processing document Bespoke software (also known as custom-made software) is specially designed and written for a single organisation or group of users. Businesses or scientific projects will often need bespoke software as the exact software needed may not exist. TASK 1: 1) Read the extract above. Analyse and highlight the key words. 2) What is meant by software applications? ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ 4 | Page Hardware and Software PT.2 3) What is off the shelf software? ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ 4) What is an operating system? Give 3 examples of operating systems. ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ 5) What is firmware? ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ 6) What is hardware and software? ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ 7) What is bespoke software? ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ 5 | Page Hardware and Software PT.2 Task 2: Complete the puzzle below: 6 | Page Hardware and Software PT.2 Questions to think about: 1) What types of software come with computers? 2) What type of operating systems exist on mobile phones? 3) How much does an operating system cost? 4) What types of firmware are there? Summarise what you have learnt below? _______________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ The bigger picture * Previously you learned the basics of software, firmware and operating systems. In today’s lesson we will look into recognising the types of popular software we may use in the future. As a parent or career your input into your child's education is of paramount importance. To ensure your child is working to the best of their ability you can check to and ensure have completed each lessons worksheet effectively. In addition to this you can ensure they have understood the key terms each week by asking them to explain them to you. 1) What is Microsoft word used for? 2) What is Microsoft excel used for? 3) What is Microsoft PowerPoint used for? 4) What is Microsoft Publisher used for? 7 | Page Hardware and Software PT.2 LESSON 2: Describing business software Task: Use the internet to research the software logos below, find the name of the software and the purpose. SOFTWARE NAME DESCRIPTION Microsoft Word Microsoft word is a word processing software that allows users to type letters, reports, books and many other different documents. It is typically part of the Microsoft office package sold at various technology stores. 8 | Page Hardware and Software PT.2 Questions to think about: 1) What other types of software can you think of? 2) Where can you purchase this software? 3) Do you know of a software that wasn’t in the table? Summarise what you have learnt below? _______________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________